The Ugly Five

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The surprise ending of the book is what makes it and leaves you feeling all warm inside as everyone is pretty to someone. Although most of Africa’s 11 vulture species could make the cut – none are blessed with particularly good looks. There are questions about the animals and safaris at the end of the book which encourage greater engagement and could also be used for paired, group or class discussion. As with most of Julia Donaldson’s picture book this story is told through rhyme and song with a lot of repetition throughout. I’d heard of the famous Big Five (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, buffalo and elephant) but who were the other four ugly ones?

Their powerful jaws can crush the bones of some of Africa’s largest animals, and their strong stomach acid makes easy work of any meal.

If you do this, I would suggest a mix throughout the week of some days writing and some days typing. Her books - the best-known of which is The Gruffalo - are guaranteed crowd pleasers, easy and fun to read aloud. There are strong PSHE messages about celebrating everyone as they are and not judging on appearance. Sonny pondered the message of the book and told me: “At the end of the book they weren’t really ugly at all - they were lovely.

Donaldson’s exuberant verse and Scheffler’s strong, inimitable style are splendidly suited to these underrated, cheerful grotesques, and evoke the love between parents and children of every species. As a faith school, we could then expand this further to discuss the concept of how we are all unique and yet loved by God.

This is a particularly fun read aloud if you like doing funny voices and can come up with a good tune for the singing part (I recommend using the tune to the lullaby "I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me" but checkout a few readings on YouTube to find something that works for you. Donaldson’s story does not quite have the high level of imagination that we have come to know, but this does allow Scheffler’s illustrations to shine even more than usual. They may be considered ugly animals, but each is beautiful in their own way, and all are relatively common throughout southern and eastern Africa – so make sure you keep an eye open for them when you’re next on safari.

Whilst ‘The Ugly Five’ maintains the high standards that Donaldson/Sheffler have set themselves through the many books that they have collaborated on – it is perhaps not quite up there with the strongest of their work – classics such as ‘The Gruffalo, The Snail and The Whale, The Stick Man’ et al – ‘The Ugly Five’ is however a lovely book and a great read for younger fans of Donaldson and Sheffler.She is also one of those rare picture-book authors whose name the children recognise, and they are genuinely excited when she publishes a new book.

The ungainly-looking Wildebeest is recognised by a long black mane and a beard of hair hanging from the throat and neck. Although the marabou stork may not win any African beauty contests, it is one of the most elegant birds in flight. Furthermore, the story has been illustrated from the perspective of an outsider looking in on the animals and therefore may be an interpretation of a safari trip.It would fit beautifully into any topic work on Africa or animals, particularly looking at how animals are suited to their habitats and the idea of food chains - both the vulture and the hyena are seen scavenging - and also how animals grow. Warthogs have a wide distribution across sub-Saharan Africa, with a preference for open woodland and savannahs, and are not endangered.